Fit and Fed

  So, of all the careers, of all the things I could teach, why health and wellness? Like most people, I have struggled with weight, energy, stress, and self-image most of my life. After pregnancy in my twenties and through my forties, I did what most do: try a diet, lose some weight, gain some back, feel defeated and give up; try another diet, buy a treadmill, lose some weight, plateau, get frustrated, turn the treadmill into a coat rack; get an app, take before pictures, really commit this time, lose weight, gain it back, give up. I had finally given up and decided to love myself just the way I am. I cut sodas and most sugary snacks and tried to walk a little most days. I gave up on trying to lose weight and just tried to be a little more healthy.        Then, at the age of 43, in an attempt to alleviate psoriasis that developed in my thirties,  a very dear friend game me some information about dietary triggers for inflammatory and auto-immune diseases (more about this in my blog). Th

  A Snapshot of My Day Sitting in a Mexican restaurant with a friend, I ordered water with lemon and a burger, no bun. The meal came with french fries, but I kept them with the intention to eat a couple and offer the rest to him. When the server dropped off our meals, I set aside four or five steak fries and asked if he wanted the rest. "Oh yeah, you're part of that cult that won't let you eat potatoes." I laughed. We began talking about our respective diets and issues we were trying to solve: me combating psoriasis and IBS, he weight loss and low energy. I told him I hadn't set out to lose weight, but that I had lost about thirty pounds in the last two months. "Of course you have. When you cut out half the food you normally eat, you're bound to lose weight." It's true. I cut out a laundry list of foods: potatoes, tomatoes, most nuts, all seeds, all grains, beans, soy, corn, peppers, etc. I eat primarily meat, fish,

I feel like I’m meeting and getting to know my body for the first time. I am 44 years old.  A year ago I tried an elimination diet. A video by Dr. Mark Hyman was sent to me by a friend after explaining to him that I’d been dealing with psoriasis for years and that medication had only gotten me so far. I had shaved my head in an attempt to alleviate my scalp psoriasis symptoms. That helped tremendously, but I still had slightly red, patchy skin, and applied moisturizers several times a day. In the video, Dr. Hyman gives a list of foods that are possible culprits of conditions such as psoriasis and eczema. The list is long. Dairy, wheat/gluten, corn, soy, and any foods containing lectins (which are too many to list here). It would have been easier to give a list of foods I could eat. But, I was tired of the itch, tired of feeling self-conscious, tired of applying steroids (which thins the skin over time), so I figured I’d try. Besides, it was recommended to eliminate these foods for 3 to